


Two for the Money

by dracusfyre



Series: Tony Stark Bingo Challenge [39]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bodyguard, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-14
Updated: 2020-09-11
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:20:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25700467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dracusfyre/pseuds/dracusfyre
Summary: Pepper hires a pair of bodyguards for Tony.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Series: Tony Stark Bingo Challenge [39]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1033895
Comments: 34
Kudos: 291
Collections: Tony Stark Flash Bingo





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Title: Two for the Money  
> Card Number: 018  
> Square: 4 "Mutual Pining"  
> Ship: Tony Stark/James Barnes/Steve Rogers (pre-slash)  
> Rating: G  
> Warnings: None  
> Summary: Pepper hires a pair of bodyguards for Tony.

Steve and Bucky had been cooling their heels in Tony Stark’s LA office for over an hour before the man himself breezed in, entourage in tow. In seconds the office went from peacefully quiet, with only the hum of an extremely efficient central air system in the background, to a cacophony of phones ringing and people trying to get Stark’s attention while he tried to read the papers his PA, a tall strawberry blonde with a no-nonsense air, was putting in front of him. In the chaos, Stark didn’t even notice Steve and Bucky, so with a shared glance and a shrug they sat on the couch in a corner of the enormous office and watched the show.

“This isn’t good enough,” Stark said, paging quickly through one of the documents his PA set in front of him. “Pepper, I gave them clear requirements for these corporate policies, this doesn’t even meet half of the things I told them to put in.”

“The board thought that six months of parental leave would cut too much into the bottom line,” Pepper said, voice carefully neutral. “Same for fully funding all employee health insurance policies.”

“Oh, really?” Stark looked at her over the top of his sunglasses, eyebrow raised. “So they think this is what, a negotiation?” Pepper met his gaze and shrugged. “Well then how about this as a counterproposal. If they don’t agree to adopt my employment policies, I’m going to cut corporate salaries, institute a relative earnings limit and put a cap on the amount of stock options that can be used as compensation. That should help with the bottom line, right?”

“You realize that’s going to include you, right?” Pepper said, clearly trying to smother a smile as Tony scrawled something on the papers in his hands and gave them back.

“What? You mean I get paid?” The phone on Tony’s desk rang and one of the other members of Tony’s entourage answered it, then tried to hand it to him. Tony waved it away with a frown, and the young man started to search the desk for a clean sheet of paper to take a message. “Since when?”

“Tony, you are the CEO, of course you get paid.” Pepper handed something else to sign.

“That’s ridiculous, cut that out immediately.”

Pepper cast her eyes skyward as if praying for patience. She took the message from the young man who had been trying to get Tony’s attention, and handed the note to Tony. “Stane wants to talk to you.”

“I’m sure he does.” Tony noticed that another hoverer, a young lady, was holding a cup of coffee and made grabby hands at it. “I’m going to need a whole pot of this, if you please,” he said, and she scurried away. And _that_ was finally when Tony noticed Steve and Bucky on his couch. “Pep, who are the suits?” He said, gesturing at them with his coffee. He slid his glasses down his nose to study them, and Bucky was struck by the sharp intelligence in those whiskey brown eyes as they raked them from head to toe.

Pepper squared her shoulders and said, “Bodyguards.”

“Bodyguards,” Tony repeated, not taking his eyes away from Steve and Bucky.

“ _Your_ bodyguards.” Clearly anticipating a fight, Pepper shooed the rest of the people out of the office until it was just the four of them.

“ _My-_ “ Tony whipped his glasses off and turned to look at her incredulously. “Why in the _hell_ do I have bodyguards?”

Steve and Bucky shared a glance and sighed almost in unison. “I give it a week,” Bucky muttered morosely. "He seems pissed."

“That would be a shame,” Steve said, and Bucky knew they were both appreciating the way that Tony’s slacks stretched over his ass as he argued with his PA. Not that they would ever be so unprofessional as to actually make a pass at a client, but Tony was definitely easy on the eyes. This was a dream job for them; not just because the amount of money involved, which was frankly absurd, but also because of the prestige and, well, because it was _Tony Stark,_ who had been on New York’s most eligible bachelor list every year since he turned twenty-one. If there was a male-attracted person who didn’t have Tony Stark on their Christmas list, Steve hadn’t met them. 

“We talked about this,” Pepper said firmly, crossing her arms. “You agreed that given the conditions, with you just getting back from Iraq and making all the changes at Stark Industries, that some extra security was a good idea.”

“I said I didn’t want any bull-necked, jack-booted thugs following me around all the time, and you took that as a _yes?”_ Tony whisper-shouted.

“Do you see any bull-necked, jack-booted thugs here?”

“Those guys,” Tony said, gesturing over his shoulder with his sunglasses, “aren’t bodyguards. They’re Chippendale dancers.” One had short dark hair and pale eyes, with a strong, clean-shaven jaw and the other was blonde with a full beard and intense blue eyes. Even with them sitting on the couch, he could tell that they were both tall and rangy, their broad shoulders filling out their well-tailored suit jackets. It was as if someone has found a list called _Tony's Fantasies_ and created two men that checked every box.

“’Those guys’ are former Army Special Forces,” Pepper said. “James helped me pick them, he agreed they were the best.”

“Rhodey was in on this? Traitor,” Tony muttered, and started to put his glasses back on but Pepper stopped him with a hand on his forearm, eyes suddenly serious.

“Tony,” she said softly. “Please. We just got you back, we don’t want to lose you again.”

Tony sucked in a deep breath and pressed his lips together. “That’s dirty pool,” he said finally.

Pepper relaxed minutely, knowing that she had won. She straightened Tony’s lapels and smoothed down his tie. “You should be thanking us,” she said with a cheeky grin. “They _are_ quite handsome, aren’t they?”

Tony grimaced. “They’re a sexual harassment lawsuit waiting to happen, is what they are,” he said glumly. “This is going to be torture.”

“Maybe they’ll be jerks,” Pepper said. "Being an asshole makes a person less attractive, right?" Pepper and Tony both looked at them, and one of them, the dark haired one, noticed they were looking and gave them a tiny wave and cheerful half-smile that revealed a dimple in his cheek. “Oh no, that's adorable," Pepper said sympathetically. "Never mind, you’re screwed," she added, and Tony whimpered in agreement. 


	2. Chapter 2

After a few minutes of harsh whispers, the assistant, Pepper, smiled broadly at them and waved for them to come over. “Showtime,” Bucky said under his breath as he stood and smoothed out his suit jacket. "Let's do hi- this."

They were already too close to Tony for Steve to say anything, but he did give Bucky a warning side-eye before he became Business Steve. “Hello, Mr. Stark,” he said as he held out his hand for Tony to shake, an utter professional despite the fact they’d been fanboying over Tony Stark ever since they got the offer. “My name is Steve Rogers, and this is my partner James Barnes. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“And you as well,” Tony said after he shook their hands, sliding his sunglasses up his nose and hiding those handsome eyes of his. “Sorry for the miscommunication. So you guys are going to be my bodyguards-“

“Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week,” Pepper supplied, and Steve and Bucky nodded in agreement.

“Great,” Tony said weakly. “For how long?”

“Six months, with an option for up to two years.”

“Right. Okay then. That’s…great.” A long, awkward silence was in the making but fortunately for all involved it got interrupted early by a ping from Pepper’s phone.

“Oh, it’s the _Times,_ they are here for your interview.” She glanced up from her phone to examine Tony critically. “Are you ready for this?”

Tony groaned and pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose. “Tell me again why I agreed to talk to the press?” He complained even as he dutifully started clearing off his desk.

“Because if you don’t give them something to say-”

“They’ll just make something up,” Tony finished. “Right.”

“I’ve got to make some phone calls, but I’ll be right outside if you need me,” she said, pressing a kiss to Tony’s cheek. “It will be fine,” she promised, and the smile Tony summoned in response looked a little wan to Bucky’s eyes. 

Tony started off the interview just fine, charming and funny, but as the interview progressed, Bucky could tell that something was wrong; Tony's answers were growing terse, and his fidgeting increased to the point of jittery. He kept looking at the clock instead of making eye contact with the reporter, and Bucky could see a line of sweat at the back of his neck. The reporter, with a shark-like nose for a story, could also tell that something was wrong, and his questions were starting to get increasingly pointed and persistent. Bucky wanted to say something to get the reporter to lay off, but knew better than to say anything. He shifted in his chair and realized he was clenching his jaw with the need to defend Tony.

 _We need to pull the plug on this, I think he’s spiraling,_ he texted Steve, and saw Steve nod shortly, probably noticing the same thing. He typed something on his phone, and after a few moments Pepper came bustling in.

“Well, I think that’s all the time we had for you,” she said brightly, carrying an armful of papers and setting them down in front of Tony. “I hope you got what you needed,” she added while Tony looked at the papers in confusion; they had all already been signed earlier. The reporter started to protest, but Pepper’s polite smile was insurmountable, somehow promising dire consequences while still being cheerful. So after a moment the reporter just thanked them, shook Tony's hand, and let Pepper lead him back to his security escort waiting by the elevator.

Meanwhile, Steve fished out a bottle of water from the mini-fridge under the desk while Bucky wet a paper towel in the small bar sink on the far side of the office, and offered both to Tony. “This will help,” Bucky said as Tony looked up at him in confusion.

“You look like you might be having a panic attack,” Steve added. They’d been given a threat briefing prior to accepting the contract that had briefly gone over Tony’s time in Afghanistan. There hadn’t been much detail, but Steve and Bucky had spent enough time in the desert to read between the lines. It wasn’t like Tony had been staying at the Hilton for six months; it would be more strange if he was as fine as he was trying to seem. “What you are feeling right now is very typical for that, there’s nothing wrong with you.” Tony stared at them for a long moment, looking like he wanted to argue, but after a moment he took the towel and the bottle. They pulled up chairs so they weren’t looming over him and sat quietly while Tony drank the water and pressed the cool paper towel to his face and the back of his neck.

“Panic attack, huh?” He said finally. "Feels more like a heart attack."

“Yeah, they do. I get them sometimes,” Bucky said. He looked down at his hands, rubbing a thumb over the knots of scar tissue on the back of his left hand. “I, uh, spent some time as an unwilling guest of the Taliban a few years ago. So. Yeah. I've been there.”

“You, too?” Tony asked Steve, who shook his head.

“No, but I’m the one who got him out,” Steve said. “I still have nightmares.”

Tony caught the look that Bucky and Steve gave each other at that, and his brows went up with surprise. “Wait, so you guys are like, _partners_ partners, not just business partners?”

"That's not a problem, is it?" Steve asked. "I assure you, our personal lives don't interfere with our work."

“Yeah, we promise not to make weird or anything.” Bucky started to add _unless you like that sort of thing,_ but Steve must have read his mind because he got a narrow-eyed look that made him bite his tongue.

“No, that’s cool, it’s fine. Like, whatever.” Bucky could have sworn Tony said _of course they’re banging each other, that figures_ as he took another sip of water but Pepper came back at the same time so maybe it was just wishful thinking.

“Are you okay?” She asked with concern. “I was afraid it might be too soon to talk about-”

“It’s fine, Pep,” Tony said, putting his hands on her arms and giving her a reassuring squeeze. To Bucky’s eyes he was looking a little better, less pale and nervous but clearly tired. “But I do think I’m going to head home for a bit, if you don’t need me.”

“If I do, I know where to find you,” she said. “I will order you food so it’s waiting for you when you get to the house, okay? Any preferences?”

When Tony didn’t speak up fast enough, Bucky said, “Pizza would be great. Get all the toppings and we’ll take off what we don’t want. You’ve got booze, right? Because if not, they can deliver that now.”

“I got booze,” Tony said. “At least, I did. It’s not like it goes bad, right?” He stood and started gathering his things, patting his pockets for his wallet and phone. Pepper silently handed him a tablet and a folder, which he tucked under arm. “Are you allowed to drink on the job? Is that part of being a bodyguard, drinking with your client?”

“We like to think we’re a holistic bodyguard service,” Steve said as they flanked Tony. 

"Besides, we will take turns with you," Bucky added, smothering a smile when Tony tripped and earning another Look from Steve over Tony's head. "For who is on shift, that is."

They started to head towards the main bank of elevators but Tony steered them towards an elevator around the corner instead that went straight to his private parking garage. “Keys?” Bucky asked as the doors closed, holding out his hand, and Tony started to hand them over with bemusement then stopped.

“I’m driving the R8,” he said. “It’s a two-seater. We won’t all fit.”

“We’ve planned for that eventuality,” Steve said. Bucky grabbed the keys out of Tony’s hands, ignoring his indignant noise. 

“Ok, but the other important part of the sentence is _I’m driving,_ ” Tony protested, but when Bucky just looked at him with a polite smile Tony rolled his eyes. “Are you guys going to be like this all the time?” Tony asked as the elevator doors opened and he was gently but firmly herded to his car. “Pushy?”

“Yeah,” Bucky said, scanning the garage for exits, cover, concealment, and potential points of entry. “Hashtag sorry not sorry. One of us will always be driving from now on.”

“What’s _he_ going to drive?” Tony asked, gesturing towards Steve. “Did you bring a car?” Then Tony stopped so suddenly that Bucky almost ran into him. Bucky turned his attention from the garage to see what Tony was looking at, and saw that Steve was taking off his suit jacket, his dress shirt pulling tightly over the muscles of his shoulders and revealing two shoulder holsters, leather straps stark against the white shirt. Bucky smirked as he saw Tony staring, and paused to enjoy the view too. Unaware that he was being watched, Steve’s attention was mostly on scoping out the garage as he loosened his tie and pulled it off, putting both the coat and the tie in the bag strapped to the side of his motorcycle. He grabbed the Kevlar-reinforced leather jacket that had been laying over the seat and shrugged it on, taking out his pistols and putting them into the holsters on his bike before zipping up the jacket. Then he grabbed his helmet, threw a leg over the motorcycle and sat down, the bike's shocks squeaking slightly as it took his weight. 

At that, Tony exhaled long and low, barely audible over the deep hum of the garage’s ventilation system. Steve finally looked over at them, saw Tony staring, and went still. Over Tony’s head, their eyes met, and Bucky’s grin got wider at the look on Steve’s face. He always looked extra stern when he was turned on, which never failed to make Bucky's bits go all tingly. “Steve’s going to be the outrider,” Bucky said, breaking the moment. “Make sure we’re not being followed, that we’re not going to be cornered anywhere, that sort of thing.”

“Right. Makes sense.” With one last lingering glance at Steve, Tony turned away to climb into the passenger seat of the Audi. Bucky tossed Tony’s keys up in the air and caught them, feeling smug, before he remembered that they were officially Tony’s bodyguards now and that made him off limits. Seeing Bucky’s smile turn into a scowl and probably guessing his thoughts, Steve gave him a sympathetic look before he put his helmet on and cranked the bike. 

“Six months,” Bucky muttered to himself as he got behind the wheel. “Six months isn’t that long.”


End file.
